a big price to pay
This Is How Much Trump's Mass Deportations Would Actually Cost America
If you read our post on the industries that employ the most undocumented workers, you'll know that the US labor force relies heavily on illegal immigration. But, it's hard to overestimate just how much deporting America's 11 million undocumented immigrants — as Trump has pledged to do — would cost the country.
According to a report by the American Immigration Council, the president-elect's mass deportation program could cost the US between $1.1 trillion and $1.7 trillion in GDP per year, and result in many billions of dollars of spending.
The report found that a one-time mass deportation — including arrests, detention, legal processing and deportation — could cost as much as $315 billion, though it emphasizes that this estimate is "highly conservative."
However, if Trump's administration opts for a more realistic and phased operation, deporting one million immigrants a year over 11 years, the cost could soar to a staggering sum of around $1 trillion.
The American Immigration Council also pointed out that the money required to carry out the 11-year program could build over 40,450 new elementary schools across the country, or construct almost three million new homes. Additionally, just one year of spending for the operation is nearly three times more than the US government allocates to child nutrition.
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Via Visual Capitalist.